5/31/2013

One of your company’s most valuable assets might not be an obvious choice. Sales leads, in reality, can predict a business’s financial future and success. That’s why it’s important to gather high-quality leads wherever and whenever you can.
“Successful lead generation is predicated on a firm foundation strategy,” Brian J. Carroll shares in his book, “Lead Generation for the Complex Sale: Boost the Quality and Quantity of Leads to Increase Your ROI.” He says, “The generation of leads today calls for much more than salespeople getting on the phone in an attempt to schedule an appointment.”
Conferences, trade shows, and corporate events are all lead engines because they allow for precious face time, which is hard to come by today. They give you the chance to meet new customers, cultivate relationships, quicken the sales cycle, and increase the company’s visibility.
If you prepare for these events by recognizing your defined objectives beforehand, you will see huge results from your investment. Top salespeople often practice the following 10 tricks and tips to bump up their number of leads after business events.1. Plan your time. Review the agenda in advance to identify the speakers, and then select which sessions you and your colleagues will attend to gain maximum exposure. Split up throughout the duration of the event — this can double your number of leads.2.Stay connected. Stay connected while at the event with business tools such as SF.com (or another internal CRM system), LinkedIn, and Hoovers.com. It will allow you to research and prepare on the fly for a meeting and make the best impression.3.Do not be late. Show up between five and 15 minutes early to all sessions and activities. This will get you at least one more conversation.4.Talk to the speaker — beforehand. If you have to talk with the speaker, you can always do it before his session. However, proceed with caution. It’s likely the speaker is stressed, and you don’t want to annoy him, so stay respectful and wish him luck. If you don’t have an opportunity beforehand, get in line after his speech so you can make a connection.5.Pick a good seat. Be strategic when you sit down. The person you sit beside can get you another lead. Sit in the center and near the front, so when you ask a question, you establish eye contact. This will also place you first in line to connect with the speaker one-on-one and get his business card.6.Always ask questions. Make this a mandatory activity. Announce your name (he/she might remember it later) and company (this is for advertising), and present your question. Make sure the question is a good one, but never leave a meeting without asking one.7.Wear a name tag. Wear it proudly, but get rid of any additional subheadings if possible, such as tags that show you are a vendor or sponsor. You can get one more lead if others think you are a practitioner or customer at first glance.8.Make connections in line. Go to the bar or food line and stand next to people you intend to meet. Ask the person behind you what he or she needs, and order it. There goes another lead!9.Try table-hopping. Eat lunch or dinner at one table, then get up and enjoy dessert at another table to meet a new set of people. Never sit with colleagues — remember that separation doubles the number of leads. (However, feel free to mention the name of a colleague the prospect knows!)10.Don’t waste time. When a vendor is speaking with you, find a fast, polite, and honest way to let him know you need to look for a customer or prospect. He will understand that your time is precious. Time is money!
These tips might result in lead gains, but remember that you are a representative of your company. Take care to ensure that the company is not only well-represented, but also think of your team members who didn’t attend. Bring home leads that will help them as well.
The more conferences you attend, the more chances you have to improve your lead-generation skills and to add to your list of connections. Make your appearance at an event, engage completely, listen up, ask questions, and watch your network grow.Because this article was published, a donation will be made to Reading Is Fundamental so a book can be given to a child.

No comments:

Google+ Followers

Rocket Builders

Follow by Email

About Me

Reg Nordman is the Managing Partner for Rocket Builders, a sales and marketing consultancy for high growth companies. He works with large and small companies such as , Asentus, Maximizer, Sophos, Microsoft Canada, and Research in Motion. Previously he has worked in direct and channel sales for major firms such as Unisys and Commodore.

Over the past 30 years this experience has spanned mining engineering at Anaconda Mines, teaching elementary and high school, working for the BC Provincial Government, lecturing on computing for the University of Victoria and University of British Columbia, sales for Unisys, Commodore, and Simply Computing/Strider Computer Centres, TNL Group, Westpro Construction, and Merit Consultants International. For his clients, Reg assists them in breaking through various sales and marketing challenges to grow the business. Using RocketBuilders Precision Sales and Marketing process he helps CEOS understand the dirty little secret about Sales and Marketing. What is that secret ? It has two parts. One, 95% of the money spent today by Sales and Marketing departments is “wasted” . Two, 100% close rations can be achieved.Â Reg is focused on getting clients “more effective selling time”.Reg has been publishing executive book reviews for his clients since 2002, and a blog since 2004. He has a BASc. (Mining) from the University of British Columbia, an M.Ed. (Curriculum Studies) from the University of Victoria and a Diploma in Management Skills in Applied Technology from Simon Fraser University. He is a member of the UBC Keevil School of Mines Industry Advisory Committee and has served on numerous community volunteer groups.